Construction Underway on Water Treatment Plant

Construction has begun in Sacramento on the first part of a $170 million renovation of the Sacramento River Water Treatment Plant.

Truckloads of dirt are leaving the plant in Sacramento as construction crews prepare the ground for a new pump station and new drying basins for the sediment that comes into the system with the river water.

The city’s project manager Ian Pietz says the existing pumps are inadequate and the sediment basins are deteriorating.

“That is at the end of its life cycle. We’ve got, underneath there, exposed columns where you can see the rebar," he says. "It’s actually to the point of near failure and that is why we need to get this done.”

When it’s completed in 2016, the project will replace the pumps and part of the filtration system that was built in the 1940’s.

City Manager John Shirey says a combination of the $170 million plant renovation project and more conservation will help the city meet the goal of using less water from the American River.

“We’re also installing water meters to encourage people to conserve water and to charge people who use too much water," he says. "And along with putting in the meters, we’re replacing some of the basic water lines in neighborhoods throughout our city.”

Bond sales and utility rate increases are funding the construction, which also includes a centrifuge for drying solids.

Related Resources

New flock site

This is the new site for the flock basin. Flock is the sediment extracted from the river water when it first enters the system. Once it dries, it is taken to landfills to be used as cover. The project includes a centrifuge to speed up the process.

Water treatment new pump station site

This is the site of the new pump station.

River water pending treatment

Sacramento River water is first held in sediment ponds.
The city is permitted to pump 160 million gallons of river water each day, but the existing pumps can only handle 135 million gallons.

Water treatment sediment ponds

The project calls for demolition of these sediment ponds that are used to filter the water when it first enters the system.